Not all ethical decisions require great internal debate. As mentioned several times before, many unethical decisions and the acts that follow are the result not of moral ambiguity but a lack of will or character. We know that something is wrong, and we do it anyway. Often in such cases we want something more than we want to do the right thing. Other times we fool ourselves with rationalizations and excuses that do not withstand ethical scrutiny. What I call the “conscience prodders” provide simple but hopefully powerful reminders to live up to our moral obligations.
The Parent Perspective. I’ve discussed how looking at the world through a parent’s eyes helps me see more clearly what I ought to do. When I think of what kind of person I want my children to be, how I want them to think of and describe me, the kind of people I want them to date and marry, and the kind of world I want them and their children to live in, many of the rationalizations, excuses and alibis that obstruct my vision of what is right disappear. This parent perspective yields three closely related “tests,” any one of which works for me:
- If my child did what I am thinking of doing, would I be proud or disappointed?
- If I told my children what I did, would they be proud of or disappointed in me?
- If my child was in the same situation and asked my advice, what would I say?
Special Person Test. A variation on the parent perspective tests is to ask yourself:
- What would I do if my mother were looking over my shoulder?
If you prefer, you can use a favorite teacher, your spouse, your child — any person whose esteem is important to you. The people we care about most are always watching us and we should want to make them proud, to live up to the high moral aspirations they have for us.
The Superman Test. Another way to evaluate our options is to think about how someone with scrupulous ethics would handle the situation. For me, Superman works. He stands for truth, justice, and the American way. I can’t imagine him lying, or cheating, or being intentionally unkind. I can’t imagine him violating any of the six core ethical values.
- What would Superman do? You could substitute Mother Teresa, Sir Thomas More, or any other moral role model. Perhaps you could use Forrest Gump.
The Publicity Test. The idea behind the test of publicity is how you would feel if what you did and why you did it were made public for all to see. Would you be comfortable owning up to what you did?
- How it would I feel if my conduct was reported on the front page of the newspaper or on the evening news?
If the headline in your local paper read: “Mother of Three Caught Lying at Movie Theater,” would you run out and buy a couple hundred extra copies to send to family and friends, or would you hope that all the newspaper delivery trucks got lost and didn’t make their deliveries?
If Everyone Did It. A final test to focus us on our most ethical conceptions of society is:
- If everyone did what I am thinking of doing, would it be a good thing?
If you would be happy to have all people act in this way even when the act is being done to you, rather than by you it is a pretty good indication that the conduct is ethical.
